Saturday, November 3, 2012

Current Craving: Hot Skwash

I saw a display of little velvet pumpkins with real stems at Blackstone's on Charles Street the other day, and they are still on my mind.

I love pumpkins and we always have a bowlful of little real ones in the fall, slowly getting moldy. These velvet ones are made by Hot Skwash and they are pricey, by my standards, but they feel so satisfyingly hefty in your hand (stuffed with rice) and come in so many good colors....

Normally, I'd be tempted to buy them online, where they are a better price and you can pick from dozens of colors and multiple sizes. But I can't do that to Jennifer and Mark, the proprietors of Blackstone's. It would be wrong. In fact, it's wrong to not patronize their business now and again because they add so much to Beacon Hill's charm and friendly spirit. Hmm. I now see that getting a pumpkin or two from their stash is practically a civic duty. I'll just have to grit my teeth and pick out a few the next time I'm over there, doing my bit for the local economy and this fine store in particular.

(On top of that, it would be a mistake to order pumpkins online because I've always thought that most of a pumpkin's personality is in its stem, so I'd have to pick out the best ones myself.)

Maybe I'll force myself to do this important work tomorrow; at least I won't have to throw them out by Easter, and risk injuring myself again.

I love getting comments that aren't spam! I review all comments and do my best to follow up if you have a question. I delete spam, attempts to market other websites, and anything nasty or unintelligible. (Spammers, can one of you please write a coherent sentence once a year? You're all so pathetic.) Thanks for your reading my blog — and please do leave your comment!

Who Is this Person, Anyway?

An underachieving freelance writer/editor who hopes to find a real job before she hits retirement age. Raised by a close-knit, blue-collar family in a Pennsylvania steel town. Twelve years of Catholic school partially overwritten by four years of Swarthmore. Married to a charming professor/sports fan. Five cats, no kids. Enjoys visits to Paris and Maine, but loves her Back Bay neighborhood best.